Public Enemy's Chuck D on the London riots: 'If you push people they're going to fuck shit up'

Public Enemy spoke out about the London riots last night (September 8) as they wrapped up their whistlestop tour of the UK at the HMV Forum.

Frontman Chuck D said the chaos that kicked off in the capital last month was to be expected in the wake of the police shooting of Mark Duggan.

He said:

We almost didn't make this gig because of what happened here a month ago. People in America were going nuts and they were scared about coming over here. They were going: 'What the fuck is going on in England? A white man is acting like black man.'

The rapper added:

This is a new world order, if you push people they’re going to fuck shit up. But there is enough to go round for everyone. Tell your government that. Equal rights are important.

His sidekick Flavor Flav also showed sympathy for the looters who were jailed following the riots as he dedicated '911 Is A Joke' to them. "This is to all the people that got locked up over that shit," he added.

Later Chuck D also took aim at America as he declared: "Fuck the US they are on the Titanic with the debt, going down."

During the show, the rap veterans played out their 1990 album 'Fear Of A Black Planet' alongside a host of hits from their back catalogue including, 'Bring The Noise', their 2007 take on AC/DC's 'Back In Black', renamed 'Black Is Black' and 'Don't Believe The Hype'.

During the latter, the duo hailed a fan in the crowd wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a "Black Power" fist and pulled him onstage before criticising western governments for the present state of poverty in Africa.

The rap veterans went on to play a mammoth set, even over-running the venue's curfew by 15 minutes as they performed two extra tracks at the end – 'Too Much Posse' and 'Give It Up'.

'Contract on the World Love Jam'
'Brothers Gonna Work It Out'
'911 Is A Joke'
'Welcome To The Terrordome'
'B Side Wins Again'
'Meet The G That Killed Me'
'Show 'Em Whatcha Got'
'Bring The Noize'
'Don't Believe The Hype'
'Cold Lampin' With Flavor'
'Can't Truss It'
'Night Of The Living Baseheads'
'I Got Game'
'Harder Than You Think'
'Anti-Nigger Machine'
'Burn Hollywood Burn'
'Power To The People'
'Black Is Back'
'Who Stole The Soul'
'War at 33 1/3'
'Say It Like It Really Is'
'Timebomb'
'Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man'
'Shut Em Down'
'Rebel Without A Pause'
'By The Time I Get To Arizona'
'Fight The Power'
'She Watch Channel Zero'
'Too Much Posse'
'Give It Up'